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Average Scores of all Estates within a Region

The above chart represents the average of the scores for all the Bordeaux wineries, by wine growing region (AOC in French). The districts are compared in relative to the best region on a 100 points scale. For more details on a specific chateau, please use our "Wine Search" engine at the right hand's side of each page. This tool is extremely useful to pick the best wines for Bordeaux Futures offerings and wine auctions.

For the red wines, Bordeaux 2007 is an extremely varied vintage. Some Châteaux have made soft, rich seductive wines which will offer delightful early drinkers. But the majority are either dilute and lack weight or are over-extracted. The dry  whites are exceptionally good and sweet whites are also outstanding.

A rainy March and remarkably warm April ensured an early start to the vegetative cycle and led to an early flowering. May was very wet, provoking the onset of mildew , and the unsettled weather led to an uneven flowering and the onset of coulure.

The summer months proved cool, grey and drizzly, and August, such a crucial month for the ripening process, was punctuated by heavy showers and a lack of heat. In July and August there were just 11 days with a temperature above 25C, against an average of 28. The Medoc suffered more than the Right Bank from rainfall, registering almost double the average for the month of August.

After two major downpours on August 20th and 29th most growers were ready to write off the vintage as a lost cause, but then the weather changed dramatically. September and October were dry, warm and clear, with a North-Easterly breeze drying and concentrating the grapes and blowing away any risk of rot. This Indian Summer, reminiscent of 1978 and 2002, saved the vintage, but the cool, wet weather of August had taken its toll, since it is impossible to produce wines of great density and concentration in the wake of such conditions.

Figures show two remarkable records for such a generally disappointing year, weather-wise: April was the hottest for 100 years, while September was the driest since 1985. (Alun Griffiths MW - Berry Bros. & Rudd)

For the red wines, in our view, 2007 is a forward vintage for all wine growing regions of Bordeaux. It is clearly not a great vintage like 2005 or 2000, nor does it have either the classic tannic structure of 2006 or the opulent low-acidity richness of 2003. Many growers feel that their 2007 represent a hypothetical blend of 2004, 2002 and 2001. This is a vintage that will turn out to be good to drink early and at their peak at 10-15 years old.
Generally the red wines are mixed. Saint-Julien and Pomerol are the most consistent red appellations, but there are good (and less good) examples from almost all the major communes. Pauillac is generally very good with a few exceptions.

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Dry White Wines
The dry whites are exceptionally good; they always benefit from a cooler summer as this preserves aromas, and the fine September weather enabled them to reach perfect maturity.

Sauternes - Barsac
The sweet whites are also outstanding; the dry September ripened the grapes but failed to induce much botrytis, but this was remedied by the onset of foggy humidity followed by clear, sunny weather in October, perfect for the rapid development of the best type of botrytis, or noble rot. The best Sauternes have elegance and complexity to go with their lush sweetness, and the style is in line with other late-recovery vintages such as 1988 rather than the hotter years such as 1990 or 2003. They are stylistically similar to 2001 but fall just short of that sublime vintage's perfection. (Farr Vintners Ltd.)

Red Wines: Right Bank
Aside from Pomerol, the Merlots are a little one-dimensional. Merlot and Cabernet-Franc was brought in in good conditions on the Right Bank, but the phenolic ripeness wasn't optimal all the places due to lack of sunshine and warm weather through the growing season. Cabernet Sauvignon had big problems to be ripe on time, but those who waited until 12-15 October, can be very happy indeed, because their grapes got the best phenolic ripeness of all.


Red Wines: Left Bank and Pessac-Léognan
Many Medoc and Pessac-Léognan properties have shunted more Merlot than usual into their second wines, reserving the more nuanced Cabernets for the First Wine. The fruit in these wines is pure, the tannins very present but ripe, and acidities correct and not at all intrusive. The tannins in the Cabernet-dominated wines are soft, fragrant, supple and medium-bodied. (Izak Litwar)


 

Winemega's precise and mathematical approach provides the most objective and independent recommendation source.

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Alain Bringolf for Winemega.com

Thanks to the following Contributors for their comments on the vintage:
- Berry Bros. & Rudd
- Izak Litwar
- Farr Vintners Ltd. 

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